The present invention relates to an image pick-up device.
Recently, image pick-up devices such as digital cameras, video cameras, information terminals with a photography function, or the like are widely used. The image pick-up device picks-up an image of an object using a solid image pick-up element such as a CCD (charge coupled device). The CCD obtains image data of a still image or a movie image of the object so that the data are recorded in an IC (integrated circuit) card, a disc medium, or the like digitally. As the IC card to be used, various types are used. That is, IC memory cards using a flash memory called a small card, or the like, such as a smart medium, a compact flash (CF card), a memory stick, a multimedia card (MMC), an SD card, or the like are used commonly.
The image pick-up devices available in the market have a display device such as a liquid crystal device (LCD). This display device displays the photographed image. The display device can often be used as an electron view finder which determines the framing, the angle, or the like of the photography field of view, that is, an electron finger similar to an optional view finder, that, is a so-called finder by displaying the image picked-up by the image pick-up element on the display device before photographing. There are also known image pick-up devices which display information to be the criterion to decide whether or not the image is to be picked-up. Such a display facilitates the image picking-up.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-47315 discloses a technique of displaying the distance as the distance measurement range or the distance measurement result in a liquid crystal display. However, in the configuration of displaying the distance as the distance measurement result, or the like, on the liquid crystal display although the distance measurement result can be recognized further specifically, since the display can be complicated or the displayed numerals of the distance measurement range, or the like is superimposed on the principal object so as to be hardly observed, a problem of interference of photography can be involved.
As the elements which determine the photography result in the photography, there are mainly, the brightness, the focus, the blurring degree, the composition, the angle, the flaming, or the like. According to recent development of the auto exposure (AE) controlling technique and the stroboscope controlling technique, as to the brightness, the brightness as intended by the photographer can easily be obtained. Moreover, according to development of the auto focusing (AF) technique, also as to the focusing, little risk of photography failure is involved.
Conventionally, there is a camera which focuses by combining two or more kinds of auto focusing methods for improving the focusing ratio in the auto focusing system. The focusing function of combining two or more kinds of the auto focusing methods is called the hybrid auto focusing function.
In general, as the auto focusing system, there are two types in terms of the focusing operation. The first type is for obtaining an appropriate focusing state by measuring the object distance and determining the projection amount of the photography lens in relation to the distance measuring operation or according to the distance measuring result. The second type is for obtaining an appropriate focusing state by changing the projection amount of the photography lens while analyzing and judging the focusing state and the deviation from the focal point from the image information obtained via the photography lens, such as the contrast information.
Since the appropriate focusing state is to be obtained finally both in the instance of the first type of obtaining the focusing state indirectly by the direct distance measurement and the instance of the second type of obtaining the focusing state by indirectly measuring the distance by the direct detection of the focusing state, the both focusing operations are referred to as xe2x80x9cfocusingxe2x80x9d herein.
According to the hybrid auto focusing function, the detection subject areas, such as the distance measurement area, the focusing detection area, or the like, of each of the combined auto focusing systems may differ depending on the auto focusing systems. According to the hybrid auto focusing function, by combining the focusing result of a plurality of auto focusing systems, the focusing result of any one auto focusing system in the plurality of the auto focusing systems, or the synthesized result of the plurality of the auto focusing systems is used as the focusing results of the hybrid auto focusing function. In this instance, there is a risk of having a focusing operation with respect to another object in the photography field of view instead of a focusing operation with respect to an object intended by the user.
Conventionally, the detection subject area of the auto focusing system, that is, a frame showing the focusing area, or the like is shown the finder field of view in an electron finder or an optical finder.
However, according to a camera mounting a conventional hybrid auto focusing function, since the detection subject area of each auto focusing system comprising the hybrid auto focus or a combination thereof, that is, the focusing area or the focusing judgment result is not displayed, a problem is involved in that the user cannot see the detection subject area by the hybrid auto focusing, the focusing result, or the like specifically.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image pick-up device capable of easily displaying image picking-up advisability information (xe2x80x9cphotography advisability informationxe2x80x9d) showing advisability of the image picking-up (xe2x80x9cphotographyxe2x80x9d) in an easily understandable form without preventing the photography operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image pick-up device having a hybrid auto focusing function as a combination of a plurality of auto focusing methods, wherein the detection subject area and the focusing judgment result can be provided in detail specifically to the user.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a target mark is displayed in a monitor display section or a finder display section and a form of the target mark is changed according to the content of the photography advisability information.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a detection subject area and the focusing judgment result by the auto focusing function as a combination of a plurality of auto focusing methods are displayed.
Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.